Track, rails and other elongate, curved forms constructed entirely or primarily from wood or other non-metallic material require regular maintenance. Construction of such structures typically involves multiple layers of such material, e.g., wood. For example, two or more wood layers may be laminated together to form a track, such as a roller coaster track. Such tracks are often viewed as desirable for a variety of reasons, such as availability of construction materials, design flexibility, an enhanced dynamic ride experience or simple nostalgia for older-style structures.
Typically, certain layers of wood receive substantially more wear than other layers, and requires more frequent repair or replacement. For example, wooden roller coaster track and wooden rails used for vehicle travel may have a top layer of wood upon which a roller coaster or train car wheel may travel. The top layer(s) may thus require more frequent repair or replacement as it wears from use. Other layers may sustain damage at track anchor points, or sustain environmental damage, e.g., from rain, temperature changes and other environmental forces.
Replacement of laminated layers typically results in structural damage to the track or rail as worn or damaged layers are removed and replaced. Adhesives, mechanical fasteners, hardware and coatings may need to be removed and re-applied or re-installed, thus degrading the structure over time.
There remains a need for laminated track, rails and other elongate, curved forms that comprise one or more non-wood layers to provide much greater durability, strength, improved dynamic experience in use, and provide cost savings over such laminated structures that require more frequent repair or replacement.